I was reading Matthew 8:28-34 (also Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39) about the demonic spirits that Jesus sent into the pigs who ran into the sea and drowned. Then the town’s people all met Jesus and begged him to leave. So, no, this is not really about the Bay of Pigs as we know it, but about the first bay full of pigs, 2,000 of them, that ran into the sea and drowned. What is this story about? Resistance to change? Not recognizing the Savior? Where did the demons go when the pigs died? Why wasn’t everyone happy that the possessed men were delivered? I have heard it said that this was about the loss of livelihood. This I can understand. In such a situation, the next question is “what do I do now to make a living?” There is anxiety at the loss. There is fear of the future, the unknown. In our panic, we forget to notice that Jesus is waiting right there to give us the answer. Because He loves us, He has something so much better than what we just lost – He wants to replace our self-reliance with reliance on Him. Haven’t I been there so many times? I’ve missed this precious point of teaching. I’ve missed this point of gaining new Life, a new idea, a new perspective, the Lord’s perspective, the perspective of the Creator of creators. Lord, remove our fear and give us faith to stop and ask. Break the cycle of reverting back to what we know and help us to hunger for the new.
But this story is not only about getting guidance. It’s about how Jesus used the pigs to set the men free. It reminds us that the world and everything in it was made by God for our benefit. Us humans are at the top in the eyes of God. Jesus let the pigs die, all 2,000 of them, so that 2 men would be set free from demonic possession and oppression. How valuable were they to Him? For the answer, just look at the reaction of those who lost their pigs. They asked Jesus to leave them alone because Jesus had just destroyed all they thought they had. Doesn’t that make you feel special? You are worth more than the wealth of the world! You know, God made everything. He can make it again. We need to ask Him to replace our fear with His faith. He wants us to ask Him for everything and anything that we desire. If we do, He will teach us how to be people who are able to receive all the treasures that He has in the storehouse for us. We need to let Him love us!
My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
